NAIC-OECD-OIC Joint Roundtable on Insurance and Retirement Saving in Asia 20-21 September 2017 Bangkok, Thailand INFORMATION NOTE FOR PARTICIPANTS The Roundtable on Insurance and Retirement Saving in Asia will be held on 20-21 September 2017, at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Bangkok. The events will be jointly organised and sponsored by NAIC and OECD in co-operation with Office of Insurance Commission (OIC), Thailand. REGISTRATION Please send your registration form by 18 August 2017, to: Mr. Songpol Rushchano, OIC E-mail: RSVPBKK@extlist.naic.org ; Tel: +66 5153999 Ext. 3303 CONFERENCE VENUE The events will be held at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Bangkok, Ballroom 1 and Ballroom 2 Address: 88 (Central Embassy), Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66 2 012 1234 Fax: +66 011 7499 Website: https://bangkok.park.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html FOR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT: For issues regarding the agenda: Ms Mamiko Yokoi-Arai Principal Administrator and Head of Insurance, OECD E-mail: mamiko.yokoi-arai@oecd.org For logistical matters: Mr. Songpol Rushchano Ms. Natthasiri Komolvit Senior Insurance Officer Senior Insurance Officer Office of Insurance Commission Office of Insurance Commission E-mail: songpolr@oic.or.th E-mail: natthasirik@oic.or.th Tel.: +662 515 3999 ext. 3303 Tel.: +662 515 3999 ext. 3716
ACCOMMODATION HOTEL SUGGESTIONS Participants are advised to make their hotel reservations as quickly as possible, given it is a busy period and room availability is limited. The organisers have arranged with the conference hotel to block a small number of rooms at reduced rates. These rooms must be booked directly using the Park Hyatt reservation form and will be available until August 18, 2017, however rooms are limited and may become unavailable prior to this deadline. Each participant must contact the hotel directly and is personally responsible for the reservation and payment of his/her hotel room and all incidental charges by his/her credit card. The organisers are not able to make reservations for you and cannot be responsible for any costs associated with participants hotel rooms. THE PARK HYATT HOTEL BANGKOK Address: Central Embassy 88 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330 Thailand Tel: +66 2 012 1234, +66 2 011 7466 Fax: +66 011 7499 Email: parkhyattbkk.reservations@hyatt.com Website: https://bangkok.park.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html Special rates must be booked using the reservation form attached. Should the Park Hyatt be sold out there are a number of other hotels in the immediate vicinity of the Park Hyatt. Please find below a list of alternative hotels. THE GRAND CENTRE POINT PLOENCHIT HOTEL (approximately 3 minutes walk from Park Hyatt) Address: 100 Wireless Road Lumpini Patumwan Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66-2055- 9000 Fax: +66 2 055 9009 Email: ploenchit@gcphotels.com Website: http://www.grandecentrepointploenchit.com/ THE PLAZA ATHENEE BANGKOK, A ROYAL MERIDIEN HOTEL (approximately 5 minutes walk from Park Hyatt) Address: 61 Wireless Road (Witthayu), Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: +66-2650-8800 Fax: +66-2650-8500 Email: Reservations.Bangkok@lemeridien.com Website: http://www.plazaatheneebangkok.com VISA FOR THAILAND AND INSURANCE You are advised to contact your local Thai embassy or consulate to verify if you require a visa to enter Thailand. If required, please check the box Visa letter required in order to receive the necessary Letter of Guarantee from the Thai authorities, by 18 August 2017. Participants are advised to have adequate medical and travel insurance to cover their visit to Thailand. PROCEDURAL ARRANGEMENTS 20-21 September 2017: NAIC-OECD-OIC Joint Roundtable on Insurance and Retirement Saving in Asia: Participants are requested to arrive by 9:00 am on Wednesday 20 September 2017 for registration. This event will end at 17h30 and will be followed by a joint cocktail reception from 18.00-20.30hrs on 20 September. 22 September 2017:Excursion: The event will begin at 9:00 am on Friday 22 September and end at 12:00.
WORKING LANGUAGE The working language of the event will be English. AGENDA, DOCUMENTATION AND WEBSITE The current draft agenda can be consulted on OECD s website: http://www.oecd.org/daf/fin/insurance/oecd-insurance-retirement-asia-2017.htm Please note that unless presenters advise the organizers otherwise, all presentations will be posted on OECD s website, after the event, at the above link. Registered participants shall receive a set of documents upon arrival at the Roundtable. MEALS AND SOCIAL EVENTS All participants are invited to the social events described below. Lunches: Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 September: Buffet lunch for all participants will be provided by OIC, NAIC and OECD, at the conference venue. Please confirm your attendance via the Registration Form. Joint cocktail reception: Wednesday 20 September, 18.00-20.00hrs. A cocktail dinner reception will be co-hosted by OIC, NAIC and OECD, from 18.00 to 20.00hrs. (Venue to be confirmed) Please confirm your attendance via the Registration Form. The organisers regret that no programme can be arranged for spouses/partners. MAP OF CONFERENCE VENUE AREA Going to the conference venue by taxi You can show the Thai message below to the driver. โรงแรมปาร คไฮแอทเซ นทร ลแอมบาสซ ถนนเพล นจ ต ( Please go to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Bangkok,Central Embassy Building, Ploenchit road ). 3
DIRECTIONS Park Hyatt Bangkok is located in the vibrant heart of downtown Bangkok, amid the capital s key shopping, business and entertainment districts. The hotel is easily accessible for international visitors, only 300 metres from the expressway and 22 km and 27 km drives from Don Mueang Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport, respectively. Park Hyatt Bangkok will be an ideal base to explore the myriad sights of the city, within walking distance of Temple Pathumwanaram, Erawan Shrine, Jim Thompson House and Lumpini Park, and blessed with direct access to Phloen Chit BTS Skytrain station. Nearest train station: BTS Skytrain Phloen Chit Station (Exit 5) From Suvarnabhumi Airport (1) By train: A 40-minute journey on the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai station, followed by a 15-minute journey on the BTS Skytrain to Phloen Chit station. (2) By limousine: A 35 45-minute journey in a hotel limousine, which can be booked in advance or at the airport. (3) By car: Take the main road out of the airport and turn left onto the Bangkok Chonburi Motorway, heading towards Bangkok city centre. Drive for approximately 27 km, then take the North Phloen Chit exit onto Phloen Chit Road. At the first junction, turn right onto Wireless Road. The entrance to Park Hyatt Bangkok is on the left. BANGKOK-GENERAL INFORMATION Weather The weather in Thailand is generally hot and humid: typical of its location within the tropics. Generally speaking, Thailand can be divided into three seasons: hot season, rainy season, and cool season, though Thailand geography allows visitors to find suitable weather somewhere in the country throughout the year. Language More than 92% of the population speaks Thai or one of its regional dialects. While the Thai language is the official language of Thailand, as a result of its cosmopolitan capital city and established tourism infrastructure, English is spoken and understood throughout much of Thailand. Temperature Located just 15 degrees north of the Equator, Thailand has a tropical climate and the temperature typically ranges from 19 to 38 degrees C (66-100F). The weather in September, month of the Conference, is roughly around 30-35 degrees Celsius Currency The currency of Thailand is the Thai Baht. Baht comes in both coin and banknote forms. The size of Thai currency both coins and bills increases with value and varies in colors. Baht Foreign currency 36 Baht 1 US dollars 39 Baht 1 Euro 30 Baht 100 Yen 5.5 Baht 1 Yuan ***Please note that these values are only approximate values. Please check daily exchange rate at www.bot.or.th 4
Time Thailand Standard time is GMT+7. Thailand does not observe daylight savings. Electricity Electrical outlets in Thailand are charged to 220 V at 50 cycles per second, which is compatible with appliances from the U.K. but not those from the US and many other nations. While most computer cables have adaptors for voltage, visitors from the U.S. and those not on the 220/50 V. will have to bring adapters to run most other appliances. Outlets in Thailand generally feature flat, two pronged plugs, though some feature holes for round plug ends. Few outlets feature three holes (grounded outlets) so it is often necessary to have a three to two prong adapter for using notebook computers in Thailand. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5